KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 19 December) – A peace monitor has cautioned against linking the Bondi Beach shooters to violent Islamic extremist groups in Mindanao, even if it stressed that violent extremism remains a security threat despite military operations to crush it.
The Climate Conflict Action (CCA), formerly International Alert Philippines, on Thursday disputed claims that Sajid Akram and son Naveed are connected with Islamic extremist groups operating in Mindanao.
The duo stayed at the GV Hotel in Davao City from November 1 to 28. Two weeks later, on December 14, they went on a shooting rampage at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia on December 14 that killed 15 people.
Citing accounts of hotel staff, MindaNews earlier reported that the father and son kept mostly at their room in the duration of their stay there.
Both the Australian and Philippine governments have confirmed that the Bondi Beach shooters traveled to Davao City from November 1 to 28.
“No conclusive evidence currently exists linking the suspects to local extremist groups in the Philippines, much less the notion that they underwent military training during their visit,” the CCA said in a statement.
It also noted that the Philippine government is investigating the circumstances surrounding the pair’s visit and has rejected claims that the Philippines continues to serve as a training ground for extremist groups.
The Akrams fired at a Jewish community gathered for a Hanukkah celebration, or the “Festival of Light.”
The peace watchdog condemned the mass shooting and expressed their deepest condolences to the victims, their families, and their communities.
While the CCA stressed the need to further investigate the nature of the Akrams’ activities in the country, it pointed out that the Dawla Islamia, ISIS, or Daesh in the Philippines “is down but not out.”
The Dawla Islamia has been significantly degraded by relentless military attacks since its height during the siege of Marawi in 2017, the CCA said.
Despite such setback, the watchdog, including government, questioned the “continuing narratives that the Philippines remains a terrorist hotspot.
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Nevertheless, just a month ago, the government was celebrating the neutralization of two ISIS leaders, i.e., Abu Jihad and Mohammad Usman Suleiman, demonstrating that the extremist threat persists, even if the hotspot tag now seems incongruous, the CCA said.
This incident underscores the need to remain vigilant and continuously monitor the resurgence of violent extremism, including “its reemergence in supposedly violent extremist-free areas” such as Basilan, it said.
Basilan (except Isabela City) is part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which also includes Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur and Tawi-Tawi, and the cities of Marawi, Lamitan and Cotabato.
The group noted that they have observed “worrying signs of mobilization and polarization, including increased youth recruitment efforts and youth defection from their families and clans.”
After the May 2025 midterm elections, the CCA said it monitored a spike in violent encounters
between the military and extremist-linked groups in the Bangsamoro region. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
